The Top 10 Original Chinese Food You Should Taste
There are several foods in Chinese cuisines to a point that you can be confused as to which ones are the real Chinese foods. However, it may reach a point where you want to eat only the native foods. For his reason, you might be interested to know some of the original Chinese foods. In this blog post, I am going to highlight some of these foods; foods which we can comfortably say that they have not been ‘contaminated’ with other foods, for lack of a better word.
Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and sour pork is one of the original Chinese food. It is a mix of sweet taste with an infusion of hint of sourness makes it an excellent dish that anyone can ever ask for. Add this to the vibrant color the palate offers, and you get one of the indulgences of a lifetime when taking the dish. In the unlikely events that you realize pork is not your cup of tea, you can easily substitute the dish with sweet and sour chicken that is equally remarkable. Worth noting is the fact that the dish is very popular in Shanghai region and you cannot miss it in most restaurants.
Sweet and Sour Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao chicken is arguably one of the first dishes that comes to mind when one thinks of ordering Chinese food. Basically, the food is made from chicken which has been diced to bite sized pieces. Other ingredients used in preparing the dish include cucumber, peanuts and peppers. One thing that causes the dish to be set apart from other original Chinese foods is the fact that is popularity has spread beyond the borders of China. For this reason, you can easily find it, or a slight variation in other cuisines.
Kung Pao ChickenKung Pao Chicken
Spring Rolls
For those who do not know the dish, it is simply consists of modified pancakes with fried fillings. The dish is a commonplace in Shanghai and Guangdong and is often associated with spring festival. It is an original Chinese food that was used in the past to mark the end of winter and the beginning of the beautiful spring. While there are some people who still observe this practice, it is slowly being watered down as most people take the food irrespective of the time of the year.
Spring Rolls
Some of the fillings used with the dish include a combination of Chinese cabbage coupled with shredded pork, if you are after a savory flavor. Alternatively, you can opt to use sweetened bean paste if you want your filling to be sweet. Other fillings that can be added to spice it up include vegetable bases such as bamboo shoots or mushrooms.
Ma Po Tofu
The origin of the name of this original Chinse food is an interesting one. Back in the early 1800’s there was a small restaurant in China operated by one lady Chen Ma Po. The cook was an expert and his tofu was excellently prepared. Most people loved the dish to a point where they labeled the Tofu “Ma Po Tofu.” Surprisingly, the name of the dish has been retained to date.
Ma Po Tofu
Ma Po Tofu is a sautéed tofu prepared in a spicy and hot sauce. The main ingredients used in preparing the dish include minced beef or pork, tofu and Sichuan pepper, which gives it a taste that is characteristic of most Sichuan cuisines-hot and spicy.
Spinach Noodles
Central China is known for having some of the best noodles. The best part about the noodles is that they are made from scratch. For this reason, you get to enjoy the acquired taste that you cannot find in other noodles. Basically, spinach noodles is Chinese noodles that is prepared with spinach, though other vegetables can be added to the mix at will. The dish is then topped up with other condiments and ingredients to taste. Commonly added ingredients include egg, carrots, beef or bacons, potatoes, chili etc.
Spinach Noodles
Dumplings
Dumplings were fist taken over 1800 years ago. Did you know that the dish was first taken as traditional Chinese medicine? Interesting, right? The dish was first made using small stuffed dough wrappers which were stuffed with black pepper and stewed mutton. Additionally, some herbs were added to the dish to help in getting rid of cold and frostbitten ears during the cold seasons. It is no wonder the dish is commonly served during winter.
dumplings
In an effort to celebrate the recovery from frostbitten ears, most people have often made dumplings, which makes it a favorite original traditional food.
Fried Mashi
I know that several people are not familiar with this dish despite the fact that it is a classic original Chinese food. The dish is a native variant of fried noodles or fried rice that is commonly served in China and other parts of the world alike. It is more of a gnocchi-lookalike with a complex infusion of flavors which is both hot and sweet. The crunchy vegetable mix added to the dish adds an entirely new dimension of awesomeness.
Fried Mashi
Wonton
Wonton is an original Chinese food whose origin is North China. However, the food has also received much appreciation in other parts of China. The name wonton is originally Cantonese, and the fillings used in this dish vary depending on the region in which it is prepared. For instance, in Northern China, the main filling is usually Chinese cabbage with minced mutton, beef or pork. On the other hand, in Guangdong area the main stuffing is shrimp and minced pork.
Wonton save
BBQ Meat
Before the emergency of fancy ways of preparing beef, the default setting was BBQ, which makes it an original Chinese food. Often, the beef is heavily spiced and you can easily find it in most restaurants, and food carts alike. The dish is prepared over a burning coal, with the meat rolled over sticks. You can have different kinds of meat or protein bases on the BBQ such as gizzard, chicken, beef and several others.
BBQ Meat
Fried Rice
The list would not be complete without mentioning an all-time favorite-fried rice. It is one of the simplest dishes that you can make with the least amount of knowledge and experience in Chinese cuisines. It is made by frying rice and mixing it with scallions, minced meat and scrambled eggs. An interesting bit about fried rice is that its taste varies depending on the region which it is prepared.
Fried Rice with Eggs
Final Thought
There is a variety when it comes to original Chinese dishes. The good thing is that we have the recipes for most of these dishes in our blog. You can check them out. It doesn’t hurt learning to prepare one or two of these.
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